Although we all live unique lives and have unique experiences, adversity is common to all of us. Some may face tougher challenges than others, but at the end of the day, we all feel it when we are scared, nervous, anxious or hopeless.

Our guest on the show today was Mark Minard, an entrepreneur, author, and speaker, but Mark wasn’t always as successful as he is today. There was a time when at 17 he woke up in a jail cell and didn’t even know why. He had been drinking and doing drugs all day when at some point he decided to get behind the wheel. Mark didn’t drive very far before he fell unconscious at the wheel and got into a car accident.

After this situation, he was forced to re-evaluate his life from the people he surrounded himself with to the actions he took on a daily basis. Eventually, Mark found a love for reading books, for him, it was a place where he could escape his environment and experience a new adventure.

Here we are years later and Mark has been able to completely turn his life around and leave his past behind. He has now found his mission in life by helping people improve their lives. He teaches people that it’s okay to be afraid, fear comes naturally to us all. Those who succeed do not do so in absence of fear but in spite of it. Most people when they look to someone who is doing well in life, they like to think it is because of some natural talent, skill or ability without knowing their story.

The story of successful people is often the story of transforming adversity into an adventure. When faced with fears, challenges, and obstacles, those who succeed take action anyways and learn to love the adventure. Those problems you are facing in your life right now can be your gift!